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Syria

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Background: Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah. In May 2007 Bashar al-ASAD was elected to his second term as president.Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and TurkeyArea land: 183,630 sq kmArea water: 1,550 sq kmCoastline: 193 kmCountry name conventional long form: Syrian Arab RepublicCountry name conventional short form: SyriaCountry name former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)Population: 22,517,750 (July 2010 est.)Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.2% (male 4,066,109/female 3,865,817); 15-64 years: 61% (male 6,985,067/female 6,753,619); 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 390,802/female 456,336) (2011 est.);Population growth rate: 0.913% (2011 est.)Birth rate: 23.99 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)Death rate: 3.68 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)Net migration rate: -11.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female; total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.);Infant mortality rate: total: 15.62 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 17.96 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 13.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.);Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.69 years; male: 72.31 years; female: 77.21 years (2011 est.);Total fertility rate: 2.94 children born/woman (2011 est.);HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.);HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: fewer than 500 (2003 est.);HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 200 (2003 est.);Nationality: noun: Syrian(s); adjective: Syrian;Ethnic groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%;Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo);Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood;Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 79.6%; male: 86%; female: 73.6% (2004 census);GDP (purchasing power parity): $106.4 billion (2010 est.); $102.4 billion (2009 est.); $97.48 billion (2008 est.);